Heart burning bright
by dream2bawrtr
Summary: After a horrible nightmare, Ana called Christian. So, will he comfort her? Let us find out. (This is a 2-shot, and it's Complete)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

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**Note: Hey, you all...**

**This is a little 2-shot. And complete. **

**This short story is set in an alternate universe. ( A/U)**

**In this one, Ana is Christian's employee and they're very good friends.**

**Enjoy! ;) **

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_**His heart burning bright**_

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Ana woke up, gasping for air. She was in a sitting position and observed her surroundings. She was home in her apartment and felt tears rolling down her face.

"Let it go, Anastasia." she whispered, as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

Since the encounter with Hyde, she'd been having nightmares every single night of him, keeping her against her will. However, this dream was very different compared to the previous ones… this time Christian and Taylor didn't come to save her.

In this nightmare, he watched how Hyde held her in his grip, but Christian didn't do a single thing… In this particular nightmare he didn't stop Hyde from hurting her…

At one point Ana's eyes fluttered shut, while loud sobs escaped her pale lips.

"No! That didn't happen! Christian did help me! He and Taylor saved me." she exclaimed, her voice sounding so strange in her own ears.

Without a thought, Ana's hand landed on the drawer of her nightstand, and she opened it. She frantically began searching for her phone. As soon as she had it, Ana dialed a specific number, and waited patiently. After three rings, her eyes landed on her nightstand and it was then when she saw what time it was.

"3:07…" Ana uttered, her eyes wide.

"Oh no!" she exclaimed, and hung up the phone.

Ana groaned softly, mentally slapping herself. Christian was probably sleeping, exhausted from dozens of meetings with big clients.

"Shit!"

Why did she dial his number?!

Ana then hid her face in her pillow, and yelled into it, so the noise she made was a muffled sound. After a little while, Ana pulled herself together, and went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

While watching her own reflection in the mirror, she attempted to convince herself that it all was just a bad dream… nothing more.

"It wasn't real" she said softly, trying to be convincing.

It was then, when she heard her phone ring. In a flash, Ana reached her phone and when she read the name on the display, she wished that the ground would swallow her whole.

"Crap! Shit." she muttered under her breath." Did I wake him up?!"

Aaargh! Well, she couldn't ignore the call. Right? So, after four rings, Ana picked up." Hello." She said into the phone, trying to be nonchalant about it.

(As if it wasn't 3 in the freaking morning!)

"Ana! Are you alright? Something wrong?" she heard Christian say from the other side of the line, his voice thick with concern.

(he sounded sleepy also)

While placing a hand over her face, Ana wanted so badly to clobber herself." Christian! So sorry, but uhumm… I… I didn't mean to call you." She tried explaining." I didn't realize it was this late. I apologize… I shouldn't have dialed your number. OK, bye now. Sleep tight!"

And then she hung up the phone, while she felt heat spreading towards her cheeks from embarrassment.

From the other side of the line, Christian heard a click, after she apologized to him.

Huh?! Did she really hang up on him?!

Christian shook his head, and dialed her number again.

When Ana heard her phone ring once more, she groaned softly and answered it.

"Christian… I said that I was sorry. I will let you rest now."

"Ana, I know you and you don't call without a good reason. What's wrong?" she heard him say." What happened? Tell me… we're friends aren't we?"

She nervously ran a hand through her chestnut-colored locks, and contemplated what to tell him. After a few seconds she cleared her throat. "I… uhumm, I had a bad dream. And I know! I know it's very silly that the nightmare got me so worked up and I apologize…" she began, but he cut her off gently.

"No, Ana. It's not silly at all… I- uhumm, I know what it's like to have a dream so horrible... th-that you think that it's real. But, it's not… So there's no need to apologize, Ana…" he told her.

While letting out a deep breath, Ana decided to continue." Well, the dream was really bad…" she whispered.

Christian listened with undivided attention, and heard in her voice that she was pretty shaken up. Without thinking twice, he asked." Do you need me?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ana asked dumbfounded, her eyes wide.

"I mean, do you want me to come over and talk more about your nightmare?" he clarified, his voice gentle.

Ana panicked, at hearing those four words.

'Do you need me?'

They were simple words, but to her they meant so much…

"S-so… uhumm, I don't think that it would be a good idea… tomorrow we have a lot of work to do at the office, and afterwards there's this charity event, and …" Ana summed up, but she stopped mid-sentence, because she heard him chuckle.

"What?" What's so funny?" She asked, her brows furrowed, wondering why he found the situation funny.

"Ana, I know our plans for tomorrow, so you don't have to sum it all up." Christian pointed out." Please don't babble, because right now you clearly need someone to talk to. I'm coming over, and that's it. OK?"

"But it's way passed 3, Christian!"

He didn't reply, and instead Ana heard nothing." Hello… Christian?"

It was then, when it dawned on her that he had hung up the phone.

"Seriously?! Damn it! Shit! He's coming over here!" Ana shouted, and jumped out the bed.

She strode towards her bathroom, and hastily brushed her teeth. Then she washed her face.

While looking at her own reflection in the mirror, Ana noticed that she looked like crap… argh!

She had bags under her eyes and her eyes were red from crying. As Ana tied her hair in a messy bun, her heart fluttered inside her chest.

'Stop it! He's coming over only to comfort you… nothing more.' She tried to convince herself.

After calming down, Ana walked back to her bedroom in her white nightgown. She waited for Christian and even called him to tell him that it wasn't necessary for him to come over. Of course Christian didn't change his mind about it, and told her that he was already on his way.

"I'll be at your place in ten minutes" he had said, and hung up the phone.

Even though she expected him, Ana still was startled, when she heard a knock on her apartment door. 'Christian!'

With the phone still in her hand, Ana walked towards the living room, and then swung the door open. "Hey" he said, and gave her a worried look." You OK?"

While looking straight into her eyes, he cupped Ana's face gently. In her blue eyes, he saw fear, and a little panic, though she tried her very best to hide it from him.

"How are you?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern, while gently tracing her cheek with his thumb.

Ana cleared her throat in response, hypnotized by his presence and gaze." I… I've had better nights. But, everything's f-fine now." She lied." You should not have come over."

Christian kept looking at her, a small smile playing at his lips, while gently brushing a lock from her beautiful, make-up free face. "I'm here for you, Ana…" He simply said." Just like you've been there for me a dozen times before..."

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Note: Thank you for reading this little story. :)

Leave me your thoughts?

xoxo,

J


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy**

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As those words tumbled from his lips, Ana's eyes began to water, and then she avoided his gaze. While a tear rolled down her cheek, Christian felt something stir inside of him.

Ana definitely needed him, even though she tried to deny it.

So without over analyzing what _**this**_ feeling was or what _**this**_ would mean or, how _**this **_could change things between them, Christian cupped her face with both hands and then whispered." I'm here… for you. Look at me?"

Well, there was no turning back now. Ana looked him in the eyes and in a blink of an eye, Christian gently pulled her in a tight embrace. She finally was able to let it all go…

Her sobs echoed in her bedroom, as Christian held her like he never wanted to let her go-ever! At one point her closeness overwhelmed him, and it was in that very moment that he realized something…

As a huge lump formed in his throat, he replayed significant moments in his head. And all of them were of Ana. The first time they met. The first time she was angry with him. That evening after work, when he told Ana all about his struggles…

All of those memories flashed through his head, his heart burning bright, making him feel at home.

Finally.

Christian never thought that a simple hug would make him feel this way… so liberated.

Ana was _always_ there for him- she was there if and when he needed her… to help at work, and at charity events. He considered her a true friend, and before now never considered that she and him could be more than friends.

Christian saw her in a different light now…

As he wrapped Ana in his arms, he finally felt happy and at ease, because he didn't feel useless anymore.

She needed comfort and that was what Christian was going to give her _now_. Now, but tomorrow… tomorrow will be a different chapter. It will be an epic chapter; he'll make sure of it.

As a sigh escaped her lips, Christian's eyes fluttered shut. He took in deep breaths and felt his heart flutter inside his chest. By the third inhale, his heart had kicked up two notches, while holding her oh so tightly in his arms, inhaling her sweet, seductive scent.

Again and again.

Ana's head rested on his chest, and she held onto him for dear life. She felt comfortable and at home. She wished that he would hold her like this forever though.

Honestly, Ana felt so safe- the safest she'd ever felt in her whole troubled life.

"I'm here for you whenever you need me, Ana…Don't ever forget that, OK." He whispered." I may not know what the nightmare was about, but I want you to know that I'm here for you when and **if** you decide to confide in me.

In response, Ana reluctantly pulled away from the hug, and locked eyes with him." Thank you." She whispered, her voice filled with pure emotion.

He looked down at her and smiled. "You're welcome, Ana. And I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you how grateful I am for having you in my life." He confessed, eyes still connected with hers." Time and time again you're there for me to help me with everything. I just want you to know that I really appreciate having you in my life. In the past, I have taken people for granted, but I don't want to make that mistake again. Not with you. Also, I want you to know that you mean a lot to me."

The air in the bedroom suddenly felt so electric, and thick with tension. Ana was still very close and so he took the opportunity to caress her beautiful face, inhaling her divine scent.

Suddenly her eyes landed on his lips, and his also landed on hers. His hands did some exploring and landed on her hips. The night gown that she was wearing was so thin, so he was able to feel how warm and soft her flesh was. A content sigh escaped her lips, as he softly massaged her sides…

Christian wanted to get lost in the moment, only feeling her skin on his fingertips, the tension around them thick, while endlessly inhaling her addictive scent.

But, luckily he snapped back to reality just as fast as he got lost in it.

"Ana…" he whispered, his voice a plea.

"Yes?" she replied, as she licked her plump, pale lips.

"Do you want to talk about it? About your nightmare?" he asked, as he tore his hands with great difficulty from her heavenly hips.

She nodded." Uhumm, yes, I do."

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Ana was sitting on her bed, as she told Christian all about her nightmare." You didn't do a thing… you uhumm, y-you just watched as Hyde kept hur-hurting me…" She said, while avoiding his gaze.

He grabbed a chair and sat in front of her. Then he gently wiped her tears away and said. "Ana, look at me."

But, she kept her eyes fixed on a spot on the wall.

It was difficult for her to talk about the bad dream, because it made her feel so vulnerable and to her it felt like she was reliving it all.

"Look at me, please?" he repeated, and grabbed her hand.

It was then, when Ana decided to look him in the eyes, so he could continue." That night I didn't watch, as he hurt you Ana… That didn't happen! I didn't abandon you and I promise that I never will." He confessed." That night I made sure that he would never ever hurt you again. You know that, right? He's rotting in jail, for a very long time… Hyde will never lay a finger on you again."

She nodded, as the tears kept spilling from her eyes." I have nightmares of him since that night. They never stop, Christian!" Ana told him." I wish they would, but even behind bars, Hyde is haunting me."

Christian had _never_ seen Ana like this before; so fragile like a porcelain doll. He knew that other version of her: fierce… and witty… super smart, determined, confident and tough. Christian didn't realize that the awful experience with Hyde had affected her this much. He had asked her a dozen times, if she needed to talk. He told Ana that if she didn't want to talk about it with him, he could arrange sessions for her with a therapist.

But Ana kept declining, and kept telling Christian that she was _fine_.

As she attempted to stop the waterworks, Christian lovingly caressed her cheek." Hey, we will get through this together, OK? You are not alone."

He gave her a heart-stopping smile, so she reciprocated with a teary smile.

"God, you're beautiful." Christian muttered under his breath.

"What? What did you just say?" Ana asked, perplexed.

Christian had a shocked look on his face, his head shaking." Did I say that aloud? That wasn't supposed to come out of my mouth. OK, your babbling is really contagious, because I'm doing it now…" he rambled on.

In response, Ana laughed wholeheartedly at his reaction, while placing a hand on his chest." Shut up, will you?" she jokingly said.

As he watched her, a smile graced his handsome face, and he placed a hand over hers." Well, it's your fault." he scolded.

"What? My fault? At the moment your brain-to-mouth filter is broken! Not mine." Ana countered.

"Whatever. Hey, I'm getting tired and sleepy." He told her." Mind if I sleep on your couch? I'm too tired to move beyond your place."

"Why don't you call Taylor to pick you up? He would never refuse, you know." Ana pointed out.

"Yes, I know that, _smarty pants._" Christian replied.

"So tell me this; do you really think I'm beautiful?" She asked playfully.

"Steele!"

"Grey" She countered, while a smile played at her lips.

"I'm serious; I'd like to stay here for the night. In case you need me…" he remarked, and squeezed her hand lightly." You know… in case Hyde visits you again in your dreams."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ana…"

"OK, follow me? I'll show you my _comfortable_ couch." She responded, as a smile graced her gorgeous face.

While he walked behind her, Christian felt his heart flutter inside his chest for the second time tonight. He wasn't sure what _'this'_ was, but he damn well was going to make sure that Ana doesn't feel lonely anymore.

He was going to make sure that she won't have any nightmares anymore...

Yes, Christian Grey was determined to let Anastasia Steele know that he would never in a million years abandon her…

Never.

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**THE END**

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**_Note: Thank you so much for reading this little 2-shot._**

**Leave me your thoughts? **

**I'll be updating 'When did I become so numb?' this upcoming weekend. ;) **

xoxo,

J


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